This invention relates generally to a container for protecting a fishing lure from entanglement with other fishing tackle without removing the lure from its attachment to a fishing line of a fishing rod, and more particularly relates to such a container with a built-in feature for resisting longitudinal slippage of the container along the fishing rod.
Fishing lures typically comprise an artificial bait (such as a simulated insect or fish or other fish attracting object) with one or more hooks mounted thereon for hooking in the mouth of a fish attempting to bite the fishing lure. A most convenient practice is to store and transport the fishing tackle in a ready-to-use configuration with the fishing lure attached to the end of the fishing line installed on the fishing rod. However, the hooks of a fishing lure are exposed and can easily become entangled with and damage other fishing tackle or the environment in which the fishing rod is stored and transported (such as the interior of the angler's vehicle). The hooks also have sharp barbs that can injure the skin of anyone who comes in contact with the lure. Once the lure becomes entangled, the angler must engage in the frustrating task of untangling the fishing lure before fishing.
Fishing rod mountable devices to store fishing lures have been heretofore proposed. However, known devices which simply "piggyback" on the fishing rod shaft do not provide the security and stability of devices that wrap around and enclose a portion of the fishing rod shaft. But known rod-enclosing devices have fixed size openings for receiving the rod shaft. Since the diameter of a typical rod shaft tapers dramatically from the larger butt end to the smaller tip end, a device with fixed size openings can securely fit only one or a few locations along the rod shaft, if the device is capable of fitting the rod shaft at all. An unsecure fit allows the device to slip longitudinally along the rod shaft and wobble laterally against the rod shaft. Indeed, establishing an adequately secure fit on a rod shaft using the fixed size openings of these devices might damage the surface of the rod shaft.
The art has been without a solution to these problems, although anglers have long wanted a secure and versatile lure protective device effective to ensure safe storage and transport of a lure attached to the line of a fishing rod without creating entanglement problems.